Oral History Interview with Lindy Boggs, January 31, 1974. Interview A-0082. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Lindy Boggs discusses her involvement in Louisiana politics dating back to the 1930s, when she was involved in the People's League during her years in law school. At the time, Boggs's husband, Hale Boggs, presided over the People's League, which was dedicated to maintaining integrity in government and ensuring that the government serve the people well. According to Boggs, the most significant changes to Louisiana politics occurred after World War II with the gradual elimination of the "race issue." With greater voter participation, the tradition of long-standing congressional leadership began to change, allowing for the introduction of fresh perspectives in Congress. Boggs's husband had served as the majority leader in Congress until his untimely demise in a 1972 plane crash, at which point Lindy Boggs took over his seat in the legislature, where she served for nearly twenty years. Boggs offers comments on the Louisiana congressional delegation as a "single bloc," and she discusses what she saw as the prevailing power of the South in Congress. Also considered is the impact of the women's movement on congressional activities and the role of what Boggs calls "southern graciousness" in congressional interactions.
Excerpts
Impact of the People's League on Louisiana politics in the late 1930s and early 1940s
Overview of the changing landscape of southern politics in the mid-twentieth century
The race issue in southern politics at the federal level
The decline of the seniority system and the role of southern politicians in Congress
Southern "graciousness and understanding" regarding race and politics in Congress
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Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
Subjects
Southern States--Politics and government
Louisiana--Politics and government
Louisiana--Race relations
Civil rights--Southern States
Women political activists--Louisiana
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